Retired Army Veteran Plans Walk for Wounded Warriors

RENO, Nev. - Thousands of our brave men and women have put their lives on the line fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan; many coming back with wounds nearly impossible to heal.

Retired Army veteran Jesse Daunis has the same story. Daunis spent 18 years in the Army, something he says, was always a dream.

"It's the only thing I wanted to do," he said. "I loved it from the moment I went in."

When injuries forced his retirement, Daunis was like so many other soldiers returning home. With both physical and mental wounds, he was lost.

"I didn't know what to do, where to turn, what I was going to do as a civilian. I turned to the bottle, and I drank a lot."

But thanks to the support of the Wounded Warrior Project and the love of his wife, Daunis began to recover.

"Once you come out of the service, you're missing your unit, you're missing your service unit, you're missing your brothers and sisters," Michael Bente, area supervisor for the Wounded Warrior Project said. "So having the Wounded Warrior Project kind of pulls that in together."

Thanks to the Wounded Warrior Project, Daunis now has another mission to complete. It's a 458.5 miles journey from Reno to Vegas... all on foot. Daunis will be marching 25 miles a day and he says he wants to give back to the organization which helped him get his life together.

"It's extreme enough to get the attention of the people who can make these changes and help these veterans," he said.

Originally slated to start the walk April 1, Daunis was forced to postpone. A torn meniscus, fractured tibia and a cyst in his left knee forced doctors to tell Daunis to hold off until he recovers from surgery.

But he doesn't know the meaning of the words 'give up'.

"I'm going to complete the mission. It's just going to take me a little longer to get there."

Daunis' goal is to raise $10,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project. If you'd like to help him reach that goal, you can donate at http://www.roadmarchforwoundedwarriors.com.

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